Written by: Stephanie Collinson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Copywriting can be used to raise awareness of your audience’s problems and how you provide the solution but also provide a way to empower your audience to make a powerful choice that will change their life. At the heart of the holistic practice, it’s about looking at the person as a whole and giving them the guidance and tools to help them reach their desired goal/outcome. You absolutely don't have to focus on your ideal client's pain points constantly because you think that's the only way they'll buy from you. I encourage you to think beyond the pain points, think about the ways you can empower them, serve them, and provide an experience that creates a positive ripple effect in their own life. I see many holistic practitioners promise transformations, and yes, while that is inspiring and a way to showcase your value. It’s more important that they relate to you and they are already ready to make the necessary changes needed . They just need that small push to pursue their desired outcomes/goals. So you can write captions, newsletters, blogs, etc ., that inspire and empower not a guilt trip, instill fear or get people to buy from a place they feel they need it to solve all their problems. You want people to want your product or service, not need it to contribute to their growth. There's a difference. The scarcity tactic in business marketing is not how I want to get clients on board, and I know it’s not how holistic practitioners want clients to work with them either. They want to come from a place of service, and offering value in a non-pushy or fear instilled way. I think it’s important to remember that you guide people to solve their problems, not attempt to be a fixer or carry all the answers. The most aligned clients will show up this way. I feel this is a key point to highlight because many fall into this trap. You gain clients from scarcity marketing tactics . They go through your 1:1 coaching or program, and either they don’t fully commit and attend all planned sessions, which then means they don't achieve the results that you promised them. And it’s important to highlight here that you are absolutely not responsible for your client’s results, but if they had to be persuaded or guilt-tripped into buying from you, then most likely they weren’t ready. It’s that simple. So I encourage you to reevaluate your copywriting styles . Are they paint point central and sell hard, or are they empowering and encouraging your ideal client to think about their current choices and how they might want to change that in the future? Are you showing your content in a way that is both inspiring and educational? I believe that the best results come from this. Let your ideal client lead the way, not the other way around. Your most aligned clients are ready for you . You just have to show them why working with you will add to their personal development journey in a positive way because that’s what they want, not need. Follow Stephanie on her Instagram and visit her website for more info! Read more from Stephanie! Stephanie Collinson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Steph Collinson is an occupational therapist, virtual assistant, and holistic mentor. After working in the NHS as an occupational therapist and struggling to manage her long-term condition of IBS. Steph decided to start a side hustle in August 2020 after discovering a course online which promised time and financial freedom. Steph has successfully begun to work for herself less than a year since starting up her business to pursue a life she is passionate about and is meaningful to her. Steph now helps mentors and allied health professionals in the online space get visible, create inspiring content and connect with their ideal clients. She also has her own podcast called The Meaningful Mentor, which discusses the daily impact and challenges of living with long-term health conditions and provides helpful tips and insights to her listeners. Steph's mission is to support those with long-term conditions to live a more meaningful life day to day while running their online businesses.

Written by: Cheryl Whitelaw, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. We are adaptive beings. We adapt to changes in our environment, our community, and in ourselves. But we forget to adapt, so we age in a way we don’t have to – we age poorly. When we are young, our nervous system and brain form as we learn to move around in our environment. This is a tremendous opportunity – this learning as we grow and go. But we commit a crime against our nature as adaptive beings; we learn something and stop when how we function seems good enough. This stopping at the place of good enough is mostly unconscious. And the scene of a crime against our natural capacity to grow and go. I was driving on a side road after an evening kayak paddle on the river and came across a deer with twin foals suckling in an open field right on the other side of the wire fence – an unexpected and compelling sight. The foals learned to stand and walk within hours of birth. The foal has a nervous system that is formed for standing and walking – the learning process to come to functional movement is relatively rapid. Our apprenticeship to moving upright is much longer, going through stages of crawling, standing, walking sideways along with a coffee table, and a fall-prone stage of walking, falling, and getting up. As a child, we repeat this process hundreds of times. Why do we put ourselves through this – striving to walk, to run, and falling over and over again? In a word – Desire. The desire for a toy out of reach, to touch a parent, to grab a banana to eat. A desire fueled by early ambition that we can control something in our environment. And a desire to grab for what is just out of reach. What makes an Olympic athlete perform? As Simone Biles and other Olympic athletes prepare to perform in the last days before the 2021 Olympics, at the root of her dedication is her focused desire to go as far as she can go. This is part of our fascination with watching the Olympics, to see this part of human nature, the part of us that grows and goes as far as we can, to see what record-breaking outreach of possibility can be achieved. What does this have to do with aging? There is nothing that happens in the aging process that shuts down our ability to learn from our movement in our environment as we learn to function in it. We are never too old to grow and go. The crime we commit against ourselves is this. We get to some kind of personally and socially acceptable way of functioning in our world. Then we stop. We specialize in moving in a way that is good enough. This is a trap that I work with my students – the desire to “get it,” which drives them to settle for a movement that seems to be “good enough.” Because that is what they know. Simone Biles has reached a level of powerful, integrated functional movement in her quest to be the best. But, how do you get on the path to be the best if you don’t know what powerful, integrated movement feels like? Once I was training with an aikido partner for 40 minutes straight, reaching for an integrated way of moving. 40 minutes of failure. I was unusually fortunate on that training day – there were 3 things going for me as I failed. I had a training partner with the patience to let me find what I was striving for, a teacher who supported my learning by not interrupting my struggle to find it, and my desire to taste a quality of movement, a level of powerful, integrated movement that I did not yet know. This training day was an experience of the gritty groundwork of adapting. We see Olympic athletes at the semi-finals at competitions leading up to the big Olympic event. We see a nearly finished product. What we don’t see is the daily grind of reaching, falling, failing, and reaching again. There is one more clue that tells us a crime against our adaptive nature has happened. We use our adaptive capacity to focus on repeating what we know how to do so we can avoid making mistakes in the performance of what we know. This is the end of learning. And the place where aging lands harder. We stick with what we know and repeat it. Our knees and shoulders, or other parts of us, get worn out. And we accept this as an inevitable part of aging. The crime against our natural adaptive ability is complete. We age poorly because we forget to adapt. A foal learns to stand and walk as an inborn function of living – without a choice in how that process happens. A child learns to stand and walk and has choices in he or she uses that capacity. As adults, we have to capacity to grow as we go, to learn from how we function in our lives. We only have to choose to re-enter the learning process that is our nature. We only have to allow that as we learn, we will fall and fail as we acquire our next adaptive ability. Without re-entering the learning process, we commit an unconscious adaptive crime over and over. And accept it as a part of our aging process. We choose, unconsciously, to age poorly. Choosing to learn another way to perform, another way to move, does not stop us from getting older. It does allow us to age well, to perform from our whole nature as adaptive beings. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Cheryl Whitelaw, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Cheryl is a leader in using movement to improve brain and body performance, reversing the impacts of aging. As a child, Cheryl asked, “If we can do war, how do we do peace?” Her lifelong exploration of that question led her into embedding transformative learning technologies into adult education, coaching, inclusion, and diversity training and supporting people to recover their personal sense of wellness and wholeness after injury and trauma. A devoted practitioner of aikido, Tai Chi, and Feldenkrais, she is committed to her personal evolutionary path to integrate body, mind, and spirit in service of peace in the world. She has coached individuals in private, public, non-profit organizations, unions, and utility companies from over 12 countries around the world. She is a published author in the field of diversity and inclusion and is well regarded for her blog on how our movement can help us create a more potent and peaceful self in the world. Her mission: Move more; react less, and live more fully with no regrets.

Written by: Justine Beauregard, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Niching down before you’ve made money in your business is often the reason making money feels hard. In the time you take trying to figure out who you should serve, you could already be serving paying customers with your offers. You could therefore be paid to learn who your offer serves the best, instead of making hypotheses without any real data. After all, hindsight is the gift of experience. When you create a niched-down message before you’ve gathered facts about who your offers are best suited for, you’re likely to picture someone like you. Someone who does not will then be more likely to feel left out and not buy. This will then skew the results of your efforts and trick you into believing what you assumed to be true – that like attracts like – which is not always the case. Instead of falling into this trap and being the reason why you aren’t making money in your business right now, I recommend taking a few mindful next steps. Validate Your Offer Validating your offer is how you ensure two key things. First, that your offer is good and second, that it is something people will buy. The clearer and less complicated your offer are, the quicker you’ll get a definitive answer. Start by doing some simple market research. Go on Amazon and check if there are books on what you sell or the result it provides people who buy it. Visit your favorite podcast platform to see if there are podcast episodes or entire podcasts centered on this topic. Join Facebook groups and ask people directly if they would be interested in such an offer. If you have an existing audience, you can send a brief survey or invite them to be beta testers at a special price point or with special perks. Whatever you do, don’t invest in marketing or selling anything until you’ve validated your offer. Learn How to Communicate Its Value Once you know what it is you desire to offer and know your audience will buy it, you're going to want to create content that magnetizes people to your offer. This requires learning how to monetize your message. When you do this well, you’ll always know exactly what to say to draw people in and get them excited to buy from you. Your results speak for themselves, so if you're not making sales, you haven’t yet done this. You’ll know you have when you get lots of engagement, sales, and praise consistently. If you’re struggling here, start by auditing and improving your sales process one step at a time. Read everything you write and ask questions like, “Is this clear?” and “am I an instant yes?” The money is in the mistakes you discover by being honest. Confidently Sell Lots of Your Offer Before you know your ideal niche, you're going to want to sell lots of your offers to lots of people. When you have a solid number of paying customers, it's easy to identify a pattern. I recommend a minimum of 100 customers to identify a pattern, which makes the math very simple to do. Plus, it’s easy to hit this baseline when you've learned how to communicate the value of your offers! Let’s talk about this math for a moment. Say, 25 people out of that 100 have a lot of the same characteristics. Well, that's 25% of your audience. You can break down so many metrics this way. Think about what’s important to you and what’s important to know for scaling purposes. Like, personality traits you admire and would like to see mirrored in your customers as well as key demographics for ad campaigns. Be thoughtful and diligent here. No shortcuts. See Who Your Best Customers Truly Are Just because you've sold a lot of your offers to one specific type of person does not necessarily make them your best customer. Your best customer buys multiple products and understands the value of your offers easily and quickly. They are brand champions and tell everyone they know about your offers. They are also easy to work with in every stage of the buyer’s cycle. These people are truly invested in your business. It’s not about one single purchase but loyalty and advocacy. Go beyond the numbers here. You desire to identify who your best customers are, even if there are less of them. This doesn’t mean you can’t also serve other people. It does, however, demand your focus goes to them. Niche Down for The Benefit of All Once you decide who your best customers are, you can niche down more. Again, this doesn't necessarily mean excluding those who are not your best customers. You can begin by bringing in more imagery that represents your ideal customer base. What they look like, how they speak, what they value most and other embodied characteristics. You may also choose stronger language to describe who you serve when asked. Like, saying you prefer to work with a certain age demographic or using certain adjectives that strongly resonate with your best customers. Just be mindful that niching around your offer more than your audience is going to create more money in your business. Definitive language like “only” and “always” should be used sparingly and thoughtfully. Now’s the perfect time to check in with yourself. Have you taken each of these actions and in order? What happened to you? Where are you at revenue-wise? What’s your best next step? Don’t skip this part – it’s like mining for gold. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Justine Beauregard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Justine Beauregard is a Marketing Coach for compassionate entrepreneurs worldwide. She uses the skills she's learned as a marketing and sales training expert since 2008 to empower her clients to thrive in their zones of genius + joy to maximize their net impact and income. Since 2015, she has launched two 6-figure businesses of her own and developed a unique marketing process that allows you to be yourself, do what you love, make an impact + still feel like a human who cares. It has been used by hundreds of entrepreneurs worldwide to grow up to 6x revenue in as little as 30 days. Her work and expert opinions have been featured in major online publications such as Brainz Magazine, CIO.com, FitSmallBusiness.com, and Business2Community.com.

Written by: Amanda Rose, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. One thing successful entrepreneurs have in common is a thirst for knowledge. Read nearly any interview with big-name CEOs, and you will see that reading daily is a big part of what helps them excel and continuously grow. Your business can only grow to the extent that you do. Expand your mind and watch your business expand with it! These are our top-5 entrepreneurial reads: 1. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth Understanding your relationship with money and how that impacts your ability to earn it is a crucial process for entrepreneurs. Secrets of The Millionaire Mind combines both the inner and outer principals of building wealth. By understanding your unique financial blueprint, you’ll discover the blocks you have in earning, saving, and growing money, how to remove those blocks, and reset your financial thermostat! Get Secrets of The Millionaire Mind Here: https://amzn.to/3yTfQBj 2. Millionaire Success Habits: The Gateway to Wealth and Prosperity Our habits are automatic and subconscious. When we learn to adapt the right habits in our lives, success becomes an automatic and forgone conclusion. Millionaire Success Habits helps you to craft the habits that breed success in both your work and your life. Get Millionaire Success Habits Here: https://amzn.to/3kecdBX 3. How to Win Friends and Influence People: The Only Book You Need to Lead You to Success Truthfully, this book should really be called “how to be a decent human being,” and everyone worldwide should give it a read. It is a fascinating exploration of human nature and human connection. Through numerous case studies and applications, How to Win Friends and Influence People reveals the power of choosing our words carefully, showing appreciation & interest for others, and how through connecting deeply, opportunities and riches present themselves with ease. Get How to Win Friends and Influence People Here: https://amzn.to/3ehkHVg 4. Manifesting Magic: A 21-day Guide for Harnessing the Magic of Life through the Law of Attraction We’re all familiar with the saying, “Thoughts Become Things,” and the concept that our thoughts create our reality. Yet, very few Law of Attraction trainings explore the “why” and the “how” behind this process. As an entrepreneur, you are creating something from nothing. Understanding the mechanics of creation allows you to grow your business without the self-imposed limitations of limiting beliefs holding you back. Manifesting Magic deep dives into the psychological and scientific components of how manifesting works and also how to implement it in your life. Get manifesting Magic Here: https://amzn.to/3hC6LXZ 5. Secrets of Closing the Sale: For Anyone Who Must Get Others to Say Yes No matter your business or industry, sales are a core fundamental. Without sales, you have a hobby, not a business. Secrets of Closing the Sale gives practical and applicable advice on the sales process, in addition to helping us reframe the process. So many entrepreneurs feel awkward and uncomfortable around selling. This book helps us see that selling is serving and that the better we are at sales, the more lives we can positively change. Get Secrets of Closing the Sale Here: https://amzn.to/36ybHGV For more information, visit my website and follow me on Facebook and Instagram ! Read more from Amanda ! Amanda Rose, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amanda Rose is the founder & director of The Infinite Power of You Inc., a multi-published multi-genre author, business, wealth, & mindset coach, actor, motivational speaker, and online course creator. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who has been in the online space since 2013 and a sales expert for over 10 years. It's her passion to help her clients build lives of freedom and joy, and thriving businesses with multiple revenue sources, through strategies combined with mindset mastery. Amanda's mission to shift human consciousness to create soulful abundance through mindset practices.

Written by: Atul Mehra, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Everyone in the world has felt loneliness at least more than once in their life. People are afraid to be lonely and do everything they can, just not feel lonely in their lives. Some of these may include harboring harmful ideas, thoughts, and actions. The feeling of loneliness can be a type of sadness because you have no friends or company. It can also be an unpleasant emotional response to isolation, a lack of connection or communication with others, as well as to yourself. My research shows that not only adults feel lonely but also babies in the womb can create memories connected with loneliness and isolation. Loneliness is a state of mind that is caused by several physical factors such as a disease or some other health problem that prevents you from living a normal, healthy life; psychological factors such as separation, divorce, death, moving residences, desire to please others, or feeling unworthy, and spiritual factors such as activities that create guilt and conflicts. Loneliness can trigger depression, suicide ideation, addictions, lack of confidence, mental disorders and may even lead to heart problems. I believe that loneliness is not as bad as you have imagined it to be. In my 20+ years of research, I have been able to assess it very closely and deeply. I have found the astonishing opportunities hidden under loneliness to discover you. Let me explain. Firstly, loneliness is natural. Everybody feels alone. You come alone, live alone, and go alone. It is a natural state so, please do not fight it; by just accepting it, you will remove an inner conflict that will help to open a pathway to inner peace. Secondly, you feel lonely when you are alone, but you have also felt lonely when you are with others. This means that being in other people’s company is also a kind of temporary relief. Now we pose the question, “what should I do?” You feel lonely because there is a lack of complete self-love. Loving yourself is different than being egotistical. Loving yourself meaning that you do things you like to do, you accept your weaknesses as well as your strengths, you learn to say no, you communicate openly and express what you feel inside with confidence, your desire to please others or looking for approval diminishes, you take out time to do things for yourself and by yourself, and you start living more “here and now” rather than repenting about your past or worrying about the future. It is from this moment on that you start living a real, authentic life. Every time you think that you lack something inside and try to fill it from the outside, regardless of what it is, you are more likely to feel lonely, incomplete, or separated from your inner-self, and the consequences can be disastrous. Have you ever realized that? Loneliness does not cause pain and sadness, but rather it is a symptom of pain and sadness that is already within you. The secret cure lies in Aloneness. Aloneness meaning that you decide to be in your own company, and you are complete within you, and nothing else is needed. You enjoy your own company within you when you are by yourself, and you also enjoy the company of others when you are not alone. It is the mental state of being alone in your own company. It is your true connection with your inner self. It is something you have chosen without any pressure, and you enjoy your complete freedom to feel the sensation of oneness. This is the spiritual quest in life that comes a full circle in the state where you recognize yourself. You are the chauffeur of your life’s vehicle, and you must always remain in the driver’s seat. However, if you find that you have rented your “life’s car” or let others drive it for a while, then please send me a message to give you an advanced driving course. LOL. Follow Atul on Facebook and Instagram! Read more from Atul! Atul Mehra, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Atul Kumar Mehra is an Author, International Speaker, and Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario, Canada. He participated in panel discussions with Dr. John Gray, spoken at an international event headlined by Dr. Deepak Chopra, and a guest speaker on hundreds of TV & Radio shows. He published his International Best Selling book on Amazon, "The Unseen Wisdom of the Unborn," and the second one is under editing "The Need for Disease." He is currently working on two others, "Addiction is Survival and not Guilt" and "My Unconscious Self," to share his experience and wisdom from more than 20 years of working with the unconscious mind. Since childhood, he was intrigued by the mind's power, which led him to start meditating at the age of four years with guidance from his father. From that age, his dream was to connect with the Source, which was finally realized when he accessed and experienced the deepest human conscious form as sperm consciousness.

Written by: Ailsa Keppie , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Wondering what goes on behind the closed doors of my bedroom? Does more knowledge and experience really lead to better sex? Keep reading to hear my latest aha’s about how to create more fulfillment in your sexual encounters. Most of my adult years, my sex life consisted of wanting sex, having sex, and then wanting it again. It wasn’t until recently that my partner (also a sex educator) and I began to explore what sexual union might be like if we took the ‘wanting’ out of the picture. I know, I know, you’re thinking, ‘take the wanting out of the picture? That sounds like a recipe for boooooring’ but hear me out on this. There are many ancient sexual practices where both partners engage in the act of sex to reach some higher energy level or spiritual insight. This type of practice has often been reserved for the few people who were willing to go through all sorts of rites and initiations to do this, and that is assuming you have a partner who can also commit to this type of training. I have to admit I wasn’t that optimistic when my partner suggested we work on ‘Sex Magik’ in this way. I thought it would be too hard, too esoteric, and take away all the fun of just getting it on in the bedroom. I won’t claim that I have achieved any sort of mastery at this yet, but I have begun to see some reasons why I might continue to practice this Sex Magik. Initially, my partner and I practiced some breathing techniques together and on our own. We had learned some of these with a Tantra teacher and some from books on the subject. Practicing the breathing and the concentration without the sex at first was foundational and something we both realize we could keep practicing even now. After a few months of preparation, we began to incorporate breathing into our lovemaking with stunning results! Not only did my partner last longer (he is cis-gendered male), but we both began to feel the circulation of energy throughout our bodies. This felt different from the usual genital focussed orgasm and more like a delicious infusion of ecstatic life force. Those words don’t really describe it well, but it’s hard to find words for ecstatic experiences that do any kind of justice to the actual event. At any rate, I continued my deep and even breathing as I moved in rhythm with my partner. I used my breath to raise my energy slightly but didn’t let myself go into my usual ‘clench and gasp’ kind of reaction. I moved my pelvis in a sort of dance and kept breathing, in and out. It was a very relaxing feeling, in contrast to how I usually feel during sex. I didn’t have any thoughts of ‘oh, I hope he does this or that thing’ or ‘I hope I can cum before he does.’ I kept my mind purely on circulating the energy between us and letting it flow all the way to my head and back down to my genitals. My partner was able to get into this rhythm as well and relax into the motion of thrusting without it becoming a frantic race towards the finish line. Definitely a fresh perspective on the act! So in response to my initial question about whether more knowledge and experience can lead to better sex, I’d say yes, it definitely adds variety and depth. I’m excited to see where my partner and I can get to with our continuing practice, assuming there is anywhere to ‘get to’ at all. I am hooked on the idea of less wanting or desire and more flow and energy in my lovemaking though. I find myself musing on the memory of our latest connection quite often and enjoying the pleasant hum of my body as I remember the feeling of ecstatic energy and union. Perhaps there is something that will pique your interest here and offer you a different experience of sex. More of the Mmmm… feeling and less of the ‘end goal.’ Want to learn more from Ailsa? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Youtub e , and visit her website. Ailsa Keppie, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ailsa is a trained intimacy Educator and Somatic Therapist and has been working in hands-on bodywork, somatic coaching, and healing for over a decade. Ailsa Keppie brings aspects from her background in circus arts, physical theatre, music, dance, myofascial release, bioenergetic processes, archetypes, and spirituality to her work with clients. She is a published author of her compelling memoir entitled "By the Light of the Crescent Moon," which describes her incredible journey into Islam and polygamy and how it lead to her awakening and reclamation of her own Eros and power. Ailsa works with individuals, couples, and groups both online and in-person at her retreat center, Our Celtic Hearth, in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she resides with her current life partner.

Written by: Renate Prandl, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Stress, inflammation, degenerative or traumatic changes to the discs and facet joints, overweight, heavy lifting, or poor posture are amongst the root causes of back pain. Some estimate up to 95% of adults will experience it at some point in their life, and five out of 10 adults have it every year. Probably you know what I am talking about. I am very passionate to help people manage and probably even get rid of back pain in a doable, holistic, and sustainable way. Pairing the concepts of the Feldenkrais® Method with High-Performance Coaching™ tools is one of the secrets to living a more active, healthier, and potentially wealthier Life by Design. What is The Feldenkrais Method®? The Feldenkrais® Method is an educational approach based on neuroscience, physics, and sensory-motor learning that cultivates a better body awareness and helps you find new ways to move as effortlessly as possible. Feldenkrais involves learning, which is different than mere training, exercising, or practicing. Dr.Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), an engineer and founder of the Feldenkrais Method, martial artist, and pioneer in neuroscience, was adamant about it. He felt that exercising for the sake of exercising had very little value if it did not engage the brain. He developed a system that used movement and perception while heightening awareness to help develop higher levels of skills. There are 2 modalities: Functional Integration (FI) is a one-on-one hands-on approach. Awareness Through Movement (ATM) is for group settings. Why use the Feldenkrais® Method, and what distinguishes it from traditional physical therapy? Although there are many similarities between Feldenkrais® and PT with regards to motor learning, the difference is that the Feldenkrais® teacher does not direct the client’s learning by addressing a “correct” form or modeling a preferred way of doing a movement. Instead, we set up conditions for the student/client to learn by developing a better way to discriminate for themselves what is the best movement CHOICE. This allows the student to refer to their own sense of judgment and decide what is needed in times when there is no instructor. A common feature of the Feldenkrais® Method is to REDUCE EFFORT or stress since this interferes in the learning process. Also, for learning something new, we need to proceed at our own speed. Feldenkrais® sessions introduce us to non-intuitive understandings to improve by guiding one’s attention to small movements and to the subtle details of a movement. We are often lead to believe that if, at first, you don’t succeed, try harder. Force and effort can be added later on once the skill is acquired but can run interference when addressing new strategies that are different from our HABITS. 3 specific ways in which the Feldenkrais® Method can help people with back pain: Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor a medical practitioner, so these are guidelines based on my own research, training, and working with clients dealing with back pain. They should not in any way be seen as medical advice or a substitute for medical care or treatment. First and foremost, I strongly believe that back pain has to be seen in the context of a daily healthy lifestyle routine. If you add Feldenkrais® exercises to your routine and if you do them consistently during the day – whilst in the office, in a meeting, on a plane – the pain will go away (unless you have a trauma and need specific Feldenkrais® moves) For a quick “rescue” fix (if you have NO other option), you can do small movements with the pelvis, watch your breathing and your posture. Download the free PDF of how to deal with back pain in an “emergency” situation. Here’s the link. The Feldenkrais® Method does not “fix” the issue but helps you find better ways of everyday movement. Once you know what you are doing, you can change. What do I mean by that? If in a session you find out that your habitual posture is sitting and standing with more weight on one leg or one side of your butt, this side of the spine will get compressed over time, pinching nerves or letting disks bulge. A chiropractor can ease the pain, but if you don’t change your posture in sitting or standing, the back pain will come back. If you refine your symmetry (“neutral”), your muscle tone will change, the space between the vertebrae will even out, and you will have more freedom of movement with less or no pain J Sitting with ease, turning with ease. We are interested in improved function. In the Feldenkrais® Method, we do not teach isolated stretches (muscular). The most recent studies do not show benefits with stretching for injury prevention, better performance, etc. We teach full body lengthening movements (skeletal). Create more space between the vertebrae, make vertebrae move (!), and make movements like turning or bending – which seem to get avoided when people experience back pain – more congruent and fluid. Case study 1: Helen D. Scenario: severe backache after years of poor posture, too much stress, the birth of triplets Feldenkrais work (weekly): lots of small moves, lots of “rolling on the floor,” lengthening the spine, doing movements in a non-habitual way Result: moved better, run better, and finished a SINGAPORE MARATHON (I did run with her to support her during the race, and we both finished without any injuries or back issues!!) Case study 2: Siobhan D.A Scenario: severe backache and very restricted movement after training too hard for triathlon Feldenkrais work (weekly): starting with micro moves, going slow, resting in between to let the brain absorb and “download” new movement pattern (all traits of the Feldenkrais® Method), reversing some movements, doing some activities in imagination only Result: competed in several TRIATHLONS without any problems and also improved her overall time due to better form in swimming and running J Case study 3: Duncan J. Scenario: low back pain was a concern as my client was to take part in a celebrity dancing on ice show in the UK. Feldenkrais work (week intensive and homework): small moves, lots of rolling and turning, added ROLLERS for more special awareness and balance Results: Made it to the grand final and came third in the contest. Has since been on stage again as a singer, as a lead in musicals on Broadway and London’s West End Get your free pdf “Emergency Back Pain Survival Kit” here as my gift to you. Make a healthy back a lifestyle choice! For more info, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and visit my website. Read more from Renate! Renate Prandl, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Renate Prandl is Asia's Premier Sustainable Life Mastery Strategist, Certified Feldenkrais® Expert, sports coach, mentor, and Certified High Performance™ coach. With over 40 years of combined experience as a Professor in a business school and entrepreneur, Renate uses a variety of proven techniques and applications to help you reach your highest potential, get to the Next Level, and potentially live your Life by Design - in a holistic, doable and sustainable way. Her "Power of 3" systems help you turn obstacles into stepping stones and build Physical, Emotional, Financial Resilience. Renate is the CEO of Body & Brain, Founder of Body And Brain Mastery, International Bestselling Author of 3 books, and has lived on 3 continents. Her mission: Anything is possible.

Written by: Jody Kennett, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. The greatest asset we all have in building our business, career, and income is often underutilized and untrained, but it is the key to happiness and success; it is our mind and mindset. If you are an entrepreneur or leader, you have an even greater need to train your brain and thoughts due to the challenges you face with growing a business, developing people, leading teams, and navigating conflict or change. Yet, so few of us have been prepared with how we need to think or what mindsets will support us with the agility required to grow and thrive. Today, you will be prepared and your mind primed with 5 top mindset shifts that will lead you to be adaptable, resilient, confident, unlimited, and elevated! The following mindsets I am about to share with you come from both my experience as a leadership coach coaching hundreds of leaders and also my own journey as an entrepreneur and woman in business. They have been compiled from the reoccurring themes that so many of us face, whether we are male/female, young or old, and highlight the human experience we all share when we are in an uncomfortable space; when we are shifting from one place to another, something is new, or we are striving to go where we have never been before. These mindsets will help you to step into an elevated space where possibilities abound, where you feel empowered and capable, and where breakthroughs to your next leadership, career, or income level will happen. Let’s jump into these powerful mindset shifts that, if you practice daily, will transform you and your life. 1. Shift to Being the CEO of Your Business and Career It is easy to skim over the word CEO and just conceptualize it in a minimized sense of being the leader of your business or career, but if you examine what it means to be a CEO, this is where you will have a transformation. A CEO is focused on forwarding progress, profit, vision beyond this year, expansion, new opportunities, monthly accountability, marketplace positioning, and hiring top talent who can get them to where they are going. Just last week, I had the realization that I have been a business owner and entrepreneur, but with my new vision of where I am taking it, I now needed to step into being the CEO. Ask yourself, ‘Am I being the CEO of my business or career?’ What would need to change for you to shift into this mindset and become the CEO? If we were to truly be the CEO of our careers, we would not be waiting for a promotion or an opportunity to land in our lap. We would be creating and leading it. We would not wait for someone to notice us. We would stand out, speak up, and share it. The mindset shift happens when you start to think like a CEO, act like a CEO, make decisions like a CEO and lead from a proactive place instead of a reactionary space. What is one step you will take to make this mindset shift to becoming the CEO of your business or career? 2. Shift from Expert to Leader or Employee to Entrepreneur The majority of leaders, managers and supervisors advanced to those titles from first being an expert or a great technician in their specific skill set. In addition, most of these leaders had no training on how to lead, and from coaching many new and promoted leaders, they often feel ill-prepared to lead, leaving them not feeling confident in their new leadership role. The first mindset shift that will support you here is that being new does not mean you are not capable or competent. You have already become a master at what you do, and just as you most likely learned those skills on the job, you will also learn to lead. However, the biggest mindset shift you will need to make, which actually must also be demonstrated in your actions too is shifting your focus from being an expert to now focusing on being a leader. This transition from expert to leader in a company has similarities to the mindset shift one has to make when they go from employee to entrepreneur. As an employee, your work is provided for you, you are usually managed, and without fail, every 2 weeks, you get a paycheque. Everything from expectations to your schedule and your pay is all regulated for you. In contrast, when you shift to becoming an entrepreneur, there is no accountability to anyone else. There is no volume of work other than what you create yourself, and your paycheque is solely determined by your performance week to week. The shift of mindset one needs when they become an entrepreneur is one of 100% accountability and commitment to creating and leading the growth of the business where every outcome, including your income, is attributable to your consistent action. It is a shift from focusing on one aspect of the wheel of a business to overseeing every aspect of your business. When you become an entrepreneur, the biggest mindset shift is going from being the person who does the work to understanding you now have to create the work and do your work. In essence, when you say yes to entrepreneurship, you say yes to the marketing and business building required to do the work you love. 3. Shift from Current Circumstances to a What’s Possible Mindset The circumstances we find ourselves in can leave us feeling drained, limited, defeated, and stuck. This can lead us to negative thinking or the dreaded loop thinking where we cannot get off the track of thinking that is unable to see any other options outside of what we have already considered. This is a very confining and destructive mindset to be in, and it can happen to the best of us due to the environment, culture, or circumstances that many have endured for far too long. If you are here or know someone who is, this is a great time to get help because you or they will need a coach or counselor to guide them gently off the loop track of thinking and inspire a space where fresh, new perspectives can be explored. One of the coaching methods I use with people is what I call ‘Possibility Thinking,’ and it is where we expand our mind and thoughts beyond today, beyond what has been, and even beyond what we think could happen to what could be possible. It is exciting, energizing, and a creative process that often leads to options, solutions, and happiness. The mindset shift one needs here is to go beyond the circumstances of today and live and play in the space of what is possible because when you do, it will lead you out of negative circumstances and into an exciting life you love. When we combine the ‘Possibility Thinking’ coaching with Cognitive Behavioral Coaching, it uproots any self-limiting beliefs so that you become empowered to perhaps do what you once thought was not possible and make it so. 4. Shift from Feeling Less Than to Feeling Deserving Well, this one feels a little too familiar for me. How about for you? This may just be a universal human experience at some or one point in our lives. It often occurs when we compare or when we do not feel worthy internally for one reason or another. No matter how someone treats us or what arena we find ourselves in, no human being is more worthy or deserving than another, not due to their possessions, their beauty, their talents, or any other identifying factor used to build one’s ego. Every one of you is deserving; deserving of joy, respect, love, abundance, freedom, and equality. When you are able to shift your mindset to one of feeling deserving to stand side by side with people you may have idolized, deserving to be treated with respect, deserving of wealth, deserving to be seen and heard, deserving to claim and own your leadership space, and deserving to be paid your worth, you will have arrived at a great place to be. This mindset shift requires letting go of indoctrinated beliefs that keep us small and instead embracing the thoughts and feelings of being as worthy and deserving as any other human being. We must give this feeling to ourselves and not depend on it from anyone else or make it dependent upon anything external to us. This transformative mindset shift can only happen if you practice it. How will you shift from feeling less than to feeling deserving? And how will you practice it daily until…? 5. Shifting from One Money Bracket Mindset to the Next Level Have you noticed a theme yet in these mindsets? At the root of many of these ways of thinking are our beliefs, and this mindset shift of going from one income level to a higher one not only requires an up-leveling of your mindset but also a possible upgrade of your identity too. Your identity is what you believe about yourself or who you think you are in this moment. This mindset shift requires you to adopt thoughts that up-leveling your bank account is not going to be about working harder. It is going to be about working smarter with systems, strategies, and scaling in place. To go from 5 figures to 6 or from 6 to 7 figures of income will demand you become someone different; someone who is going to play bigger, someone who gives more value, someone who takes the actions of a leader playing in the big field. What do you believe about yourself? It is possible that your identity is getting in the way of your income. The mindset shift you may need is in upgrading your identity to being a six or seven-figure earner. It does not matter if you have never done this before; it is a way of thinking, and thinking leads to emotions which lead to actions. Write down 3 thoughts or the identity you will embrace to take you to your next income bracket. The power of your mind cannot be underestimated; it also can be the creator of your reality. We have the ability to transform our thoughts, manage our mindset, become our beliefs, and influence our identity. Then it is undeniable that our mindset matters not just for our wellbeing but also for our growth as leaders and entrepreneurs. Yet how many of us are cultivating and practicing the shifts of mindset we need to be at our best, breakthrough limitations, and become all we are capable of being? Let these mindset shifts be your practice to elevating and energizing yourself beyond today to where you are leading and to who you are becoming. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my website for more info! Jody Kennett, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jody Kennett elevates leaders with leadership, communication, and peak energy performance as an ICF-certified coach. She is impacting women in business globally and empowering them to own their power as a leader by combining women's leadership, confidence, and communication coaching. Her specialized training as a certified C-IQ (Conversational Intelligence) coach is transforming conversations, communication, and culture to foster positive relationships and a thriving workplace. As a co-author of The Winning Mindset book, she is inspiring and training people to master their inner-leader and mindset so they can have peak performance. She created Peak Energy 4 Performance to highlight the importance of energy input into not only our bodies, but also our mind, emotions, and environment. Jody is uniquely certified as a leadership, life, and health coach bringing 20 years of health and wellbeing expertise to energize leaders and entrepreneurs. She is the coach who will help you 'Lead Your Life', career, and business so you will, 'Lead it, Live it, and Love it!'.

Written by: Kamil Shah, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Paolo Coelho has to be one of the authors that have made an impact in my journey to self-discovery. Ever since I came across his works, I have been hooked. Truth be told, I had never heard about Paolo or his writings before until a friend of mine mentioned his bestselling book, The Alchemist. This was many years ago, but it was a moment that has defined my personal growth. Paolo has also authored countless other books, including The Archer. A conversation between a master archer and an apprentice, the Archery-related teachings contained in this book are actually more universal. In fact, you do not need to know much about archery to be able to relate to them. There are several key takeaways in the form of life lessons that can be found when you ‘listen’ in on this conversation. Here, I share some of the ones, which resonate with me when it comes to reflecting on personal and professional success. Lesson 1 The archer cannot always choose the battlefield, so start your training again and be prepared for unfavorable situations.’ The economic landscape is ever fluctuating and changing. What seems to be a ‘favorable wind’ blowing will not always remain so. If you’ve been through several economic cycles, you’ll know what I’m talking about. One key thing that I’ve learned throughout the years is the significance of developing the skill of adaptability. Recent global events have emphasized this even more so. The linear method of thinking and operating just cannot survive the unexpected changes that lie ahead. Developing an adaptable mindset allows us to be open to changes by way of controlling how we respond to them. The same goes for leadership. The true test of a leader is not when things are easy to manage or ‘plain sailing.’ A true test of leadership comes in times of crises when composure and resolve are challenged. Leaders step up in times of adversity. Lesson 2 ‘We should never judge people without first learning to hear and to respect them.’ When dealing with competition (especially in business), learning from and having respect for your competitors is probably one of the most significant things you can do when starting out. Yes, we do need to focus on our own journey, but we also need to understand what others are doing. Over the years, we’ve seen business giants who once seemed immovable almost disappear overnight when their competitor releases a new product. We later find that the ‘giant’ had ignored what the competition was doing and had a false sense of security all along. Learn from and respect the competition. Lesson 3 ‘Join with all those who experiment, take risks, fall, get hurt, and then take more risks.’ Surround yourself with like-minded people. This is not to say that they necessarily need to have the same interest. It is more about those who share similar values in pursuing personal and professional growth. I’m talking about those who aren’t afraid to take risks, as facing challenges head-on is a means to growth itself. I’m talking about those who understand that the ‘end’ is as important as the ‘journey’ itself. Lesson 4 ‘In order to understand your bow, it must become part of your arm and an extension of your thoughts.’ Become at one with whatever you decide to pursue. Be it your business, a new career, relationship, project, whatever it is that you intend to devote your life to. Unless it becomes part of your life, it will always be an appendage that is secondary to everything else. It will always be something that you just happen to do, not something that you live by. In this sense, it can easily be retired and left behind when things aren’t going so well. However, embrace it wholeheartedly, and it will become a powerful extension of your life. Lesson 5 ‘Each arrow leaves a memory in your heart, and it is the sum of those memories that will make you shoot better and better.’ Fear of failure has to be one of the most common human experiences known. As much as we try to control the desired outcome or result through meticulous planning and execution, sometimes, life gets in the way, and things do go ‘pear-shaped.’ It is this fear of not getting the desired result that stops people from trying. However, understanding that each ‘failure’ is another chance to learn and improve can only make you better at what you do. Lesson 6 ‘The target exists only if the archer exists.’ Whether in business or in personal life, a goal set to achieve a certain ‘something’ in the future can only be fully realized when one thing is present, us. What I mean by being present is not only in physical form but, more importantly, in the mind. All things begin to materialize first in the mind and then in physical form. A mind focused on a specific goal or target to be achieved will, almost magically, begin to anchor in all the necessary tools, skills, and resources needed to achieve that goal. Lesson 7 ‘Elegance is not the most comfortable of postures, but it is the best posture if the shot is to be perfect.’ Most of the time, we look at the success of others and only see the end result, the final destination, the complete picture. However, unless we look back and follow their journey, we may never fully comprehend that the ‘picture perfect’ end product had endured times of discomfort, unnerving moments, and even sacrifices. However, through it all, they have come through. The key here is to understand that the path to the desired goal may be uncomfortable and confused at times. Reminding oneself that growth lies in these moments and that the focus is still fixed on the desired goal will help carry you through those times. Lesson 8 ‘To hold the arrow is to be in touch with your own intention.’ From time to time, it is worth checking in on ‘why we do what we do.’ Re-engage with the initial intention that had set us off on our current journey. Remind ourselves again of where we've come from, where we are now, and more importantly, where we are headed. Being in touch again with our intention helps re-frame our mind and actions such that any action which does not contribute towards our intended goal should be avoided or discarded, whilst those that do should be embraced. Lesson 9 ‘Keep calm and breathe deeply.’ The way we create, use, and conserve our energy can profoundly affect our performance. The journey towards our destination may not always be plain sailing. Life is never linear. In fact, we will be challenged from time to time. We will experience intense moments where we are required to devote large amounts of mental, emotional, and physical energy. Unfortunately, this is part of the process for growth. Be reminded to breathe. Breathe deeply. Especially throughout these intense moments. It will allow us to step back, re-focus, re-energize and bring a degree of calmness amidst the storm. Lesson 10 ‘...at any given moment, your hand will have to open and allow your intention to follow its destiny.’ This is one of the most important lessons, and that is to understand that as much as we try to plan and shape things the way we see and intend them to be, life can sometimes take its own course, and we may find that the very thing we were working towards has a ‘life of its own.’ Be it a relationship, career, or even business. That’s why it is useful to be reminded that the journey is as important as (if not more important than) the destination itself. At some point, we will need to let go and allow it to follow its own course and destiny. In this short article, I have shared 10 key teachings which immediately connected with me. There are many more lessons that can be extracted from The Archer, but these are the ones that connected with me instantaneously when reflecting on the idea of success and my own journey. As with great works of literature, each reader will extract a different meaning from the work and relate to it differently. If you get the chance, grab yourself a copy and as you follow the story, reflect on the significance of each portion and how it can be used to change your life. I hope it will make an impression on you as it did on me. For more details, follow me on Facebook or Instagram and visit my website. Read more from Kamil! Kamil Shah, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Coming from a professional background in design, Kamil previously practiced in both the Education & Corporate Sectors. One life-changing event in his 20s saw Kamil's life plummet from having a progressing career in design to living on $2 a day virtually overnight. This painful experience has taught him valuable lessons in Life, which he has used advantageously in regaining his feet and ultimately achieving Personal and Professional Success. He now shares his experience and knowledge in helping others achieve their own success through bringing on their own Personal Genius.

Written by: Claire A tyeo , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. If your open to or practicing spirituality, then this may seem like a weird title! But stay with me, and all will be revealed. Within this article, I’m going to challenge mainstream societal covert actions which demonstrate spirituality, aka individuality , is being actively discouraged by our governments. First, let us focus on intuition. As it is the catalyst from where we all start our spiritual journey. What is intuition? It’s an emotional response or sensation of knowing to external or internal variables, a tuning into our bodies rather than our minds which allows us to decide if something feels good or bad, right or wrong. An inner compass set to our individual true north and situated in the vortex center of our energetic physical being, the base, sacral, and solar plexus chakras. The I am … of our individuality within the collective. Sounds a little complex and far-out, right? And it’s for this reason that conventional science has until recent years metaphorically parked it on the self and denied or belittled its existence, working from the premise that if it can’t be measured or seen, it can’t exist. But over the generations, as the greater population of humanity became better educated, that hypothesis has been challenged. Honestly, I question if the metaphorical parking was instigated by the scientists or if there was a third-party insistence that it be parked, but that’s a whole different article! Anyway, in recent years scientists have discovered that the gut effectively is a brain and can store and retrieve memories. Studies are showing that people who use and make decisions from their intuition (gut) rather than intellect alone make better choices for themselves and, in most cases, are more successful in life. Science is also proving that our DNA not only carries genetic traits such as body structure, facial appearance, etc., but it also carries ancestral memories. Most of the public known studies at present have concentrated on phobias, fears, and trauma due to its relative ease to quantify. But it’s a logical assumption to say that through our DNA, we can tap into the diverse knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors. My question at this point is, are these ancestral wisdom the trigger of our intuition? I believe so, but we each must look within and decide for ourselves. As a Female Empowerment Coach One of the first activities I encourage with my clients is to connect with their intuition on a deeper level. Both men and women are intuitive, but women overall tend to naturally be more highly attuned with theirs. This probably is due to the differences in which men's and women’s brains are wired, and again the societal influences (boys perceived soft if they openly show emotion). During my time as a coach, I have observed repetitive themes from our societal structure globally that appear designed to remove individualism from the individual. As I said previously, intuition facilitates the ability to make better choices for self, a scientific fact! Which innately creates a strong bond of individualism within the individual. Where the threat comes into play If we express ourselves through our individualism, we are much more difficult to control. And please, I am not an anarchist, but I am calling for people to lift their heads, open their eyes and see what is covertly happening within society today. Great examples of this are parents, and I am focusing on parents of young families because they are the next generation. They are the ones who have been and are still being directly affected by this current culture of almost total control. What concerns me is that parents are openly discouraged from using their innate gifts of intuition and nurturing in a way that feels correct for them. They are no longer allowed to feed their babies solids when they innately know the baby is ready. They are viewed with suspicion or deemed neglectful if they make the difficult decision not to have their babies fully immunized. Children are forced into separation from their parents at the tender age of 4 years old and placed into a system that has been structured in such a way there are little to no resources to accommodate the individual expression, the main component to healthy growth and learning. Families are no longer permitted to raise their children in a way that is aligned with their beliefs, their individuality, and their ancestral heritage. And instead are directed to follow protocols and procedures designed for the masses with no room for personal thought or creativity. Questions we need to be asking? How is it advantageous to have generations so stifled and conditioned to follow that they are incapable of decision making without first checking it's ok? Who are incapable because unaccustomed to feeling and acting on what’s right for them and having the independence to speak up? To never have experienced the freedom of free play, imagination, and expression, which leads to the healthy well-being of mind, body, and soul? Is this an intentional plan? To create generations so dependent on the state that they look to governments for guidance instead of themselves. That becomes so disconnected from their individuality they become reliant on pharmaceuticals to stabilize their minds. When we look at ourselves... When we start to learn, understand, and take ownership of the fact we are each unique and should live our lives by our own moral compass and in doing so then take complete responsibility that those actions create a cause and effect for which we also take responsibility for, we then ascend from the I to we, becoming a collective of individuals fully aware of our interconnectedness, potential, and power. Is this the reason spirituality/ intuition poses such a threat, and are we currently experiencing a re-enacting of the dark ages witch hunt, but with greater sophistication? In my opinion, the younger generation is not only losing the right to choose but are slowly losing the ability to know how to choose for themselves! If you have taken the time to read this article, then thank you, I know it’s been a long one! I now encourage you to sit quietly and review all the decisions you have taken in the past week and ask yourself, how many stemmed from your own free-thinking beliefs and values and how many were directed from outside influences? If you feel drawn to work with me, then hop over to my site and check out my awesome events and 1:1 programs. Want to learn more from Claire? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Claire! Claire Atyeo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Claire Atyeo is a Female Empowerment Coach & Shamanic Practitioner whose motivation is to inspire and guide women to create realistic, actionable solutions to life’s problems and challenges. Claire supports women globally to reacquaint themselves with their true essence, realign and rebalance their energies to become unstoppable in their passions, goals, and life desires. As a Certified Life Coach, Reiki Master, Shamanic practitioner, EFT, Inner child, and Ho’oponopono practitioner, she has many tools to help. Spiritually based, she may be, but gentle persistence is a strength, a power, and a much-underestimated force. She believes that once women step into their goddess self, un-apologetically on mass, the world will once again restore to balance. In her desire to reach out and affect greater positive change, she opened Athena Academy in 2020.

Written by: Magnus Ernegård , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Customers have gradually started to show an interest in your Startup, and you need capital to get the business going and grow further. You have come to the point where you have used most of your savings, perhaps also taken a bank loan, and by, and largely lived frugally with "bootstrapping" as far as possible. Maybe you also got some capital from some well-to-do relatives, friends, and other acquaintances? They may not be so familiar with your business concept and your developed product/service, but they support you because they believe in you as a person with your winning and energetic drive. But the question you ponder and ask yourself is: Do I really want external financing with all that it entails? You know that this requires you to give up part of the company and dilute the ownership in exchange for financing. The angel investor will probably want to decide some of the operational issues regarding your Startup and perhaps its vision, which may not be the same as you originally had as an idea with your venture when you founded it. On the other hand, the business angels are professional, have an extensive and knowledgeable network, industry knowledge, and experience that provides a valuable asset for the Startup. You both work towards the same or similar goal to make the company successful and profitable. But what you see as the big stumbling block, how will you keep up with all the work it means to get the venture investment-ready. Many of the Startup founders we have been in contact with say that it took about half of their time at the first round of fundraising. If it now takes 6-9 months and maybe even longer to get the money into the venture from the time you pitched, it will be quite a few hours. And this is when it gave a positive response and outcome from the investor and interest to invest! So, raising capital is often an extremely frustrating experience for the new entrepreneur because they have a fundamental disadvantage as the Startup founder knows relatively little about the whole process compared to investors who have much experience. In addition, having external owners usually requires more administration, reporting, and discussions about what the strategic plan should be and how to implement it, which means the founders must also spend their resources and time on this. But there has never been so much capital to invest in Startup companies as today. However, this does not mean that your Startup will easily, quickly, and smoothly attract investors. So, how can you, as a new entrepreneur, increase the likelihood that your newly started venture will be funded the way you want? 1. Do it "all-in" or not at all. As I mentioned earlier, it takes a lot of resources, time, and patience to raise capital, and this is what you as a Startup Founder should do a little besides the work to actually starting up the business, develop the product or service, build the team, check out competitors, have control and order of all documentation, legal requirements including any IP, shape the company culture, understand and discuss all the terminology and meaning like term-sheet, cap-tables, company valuation issues, etc. With the attitude "we take it as it comes," this most likely means that the company will be short-lived if it will even start. If you are a founder of a venture or a new entrepreneur for the first time, you must know your business, the financials, and the entire process like the back of your hand when you have a dialogue with prospective investors. You are probably entirely new to these business angels and VC companies who naturally are a little unsure of you. If you cannot clearly show that they can believe in you or that you can convey a solid trust, the investor will probably notice this and most likely choose another more prepared entrepreneur and Startup company. Of course, a wholly perfect and robust preparation does not necessarily mean that you as an entrepreneur will succeed with the capital round, but the probability increases considerably. 2. Shape your vision. Investors always think big. They need to get the impression early in the process that your business can grow at least ten times over the next few years. You must formulate and explain your vision and mission about the company. In preparation for your meeting with investors, first answer the question: What will the company look like in 3, 5, and 10 years? Your vision must be a mixture of ambition and realism. It should not seem completely impossible, but it should undoubtedly be quite challenging. Explain how you will scale up and how you will keep your customers and show how other companies have already succeeded with a similar concept. Your big vision will then be more credible. What will the team look like? What profiles, experiences, and competencies should these people have? Does everyone work full-time at your new company? Should they get paid a monthly salary or an hourly rate, or is a stock option scheme more interesting? 3. Define when and for what you need the capital. Do not specify the capital requirement you need in intervals, such as: I need between 5 to 8 million. Instead, show an exact amount and when you need it, and how the money will be used? The capital injection should also align with your financial plan, growth strategy, marketing and selling expenses, and the plan to build your team. Are there certain milestones you must achieve that trigger a need for capital for your company to move on and grow? Present what the risks are of not reaching the milestones in time. Be very transparent and honest. 4. Do due diligence of the investor. Investigate what their investment focus and portfolio look like. You will probably work closely with each other for 3, 5, or 10 years and in ups and downs, so check and feel. Where has the investor previously invested? Examine which industries, ticket sizes, business models, investment stages, and geographical areas the investor has had. Does the investor have an extensive, competent, and solid network of contacts in your industry and is willing to support and spend much of the time at the company? Does the investor only see this as a purely promising financial investment, or will they contribute more operationally with know-how and a network of contacts? Also, check if your company is potentially competing with something or someone the investor now has shares or engagement with. If the investor is someone you can go out and have a beer with after a long and challenging week and have fun together, the chance increases that it will be a good fit. 5. Prepare the numbers and documentation. Probably one of the most critical factors for the preparations is calculations and risk analysis. Investors love data, facts, and figures. Develop KPIs and make different scenarios, know the figures, how they are calculated, and the basis for the assumptions and prerequisites. 6. Start building a personal relationship between you and the investors. Even if you can show all the numbers, calculations, assumptions and that you have "everything under control and that all paperwork is in order," investors want to know you before they open their wallets. This is, of course, especially important when it is your first company for which you are applying for capital. So, more crucial for the investor is to know more about you, why you are passionate about this, have perseverance, radiate commitment, do not give up so quickly, and what the team behind the company looks like. What are the team's background and strengths? The investor thus wants to understand how you and your co-founders deal with complex issues, crises, how they think and react in different situations, what their leadership style is, their area of ​​expertise, and what personal interests they have. The team and its composition are usually crucial in the decision-making process of the investors, so it is essential for you also to create a relationship between the team members and the potential investor/-s. To build this personal relationship and trust, you should provide a due diligence data room in the early stages of the capital rounds and have all the necessary documents prepared so that they can be delivered immediately at the request of the investor. This helps to maintain regular and high interactivity between the entrepreneur and the investor. Several players help with automated due diligence with virtual data space that BridgeToAngels collaborates with and can recommend. High commitment and fast deliveries strengthen confidence and increase the chances of a "term-sheet." 7. Practice your pitch. When you stand there in front of the investors, in addition to all facts, they want to get to know the founders and the team personally and look at their soft skills and personalities. You can compare it to a crucial meeting with a customer. The investor is interested in your team's sales and presentation skills to understanding how your team interacts and how you handle issues. As described in the previous point, your team plays a crucial role, which is why this meeting is one of the most critical activities in your funding round. We, therefore, recommend training this meeting both internally and with the help of external parties. You should define a clear division of roles and topics so that the discussion section does not just rest on one person. Consultants, existing investors, or other entrepreneurs can give you valuable advice and tips on the content or methodological focus during a so-called "dry run." There are also plenty of examples of questions and pitch decks online that you can prepare for and use. As for the actual performance in front of the investor audience, we at BridgeToAngels collaborate with a selected pitch presentation trainer who adapts individually depending on who the audience is. What step in the company's capital journey is in, and whether it is a physical meeting, online meeting, or a video demo like at many Hackathons and Virtual Demo Days. So now you are finally standing there in front of the investors and have prepared yourself for all possible issues, including similar ones we see on Dragon's Den and similar pitch events. These are questions that we mentioned above, for example, regarding your team, competitors, market segments, financial plans, the vision, the exit strategy, all types of calculations, assumptions and risks, etc. But in addition, there may be questions and statements that may be a bit odd and may be asked more to see your reaction and that you can then show a sense of security, clarity, and honesty. What happens, and what do you do if you do not get all the money you ask for? Why are you the right person to invest in to achieve this? What mistakes have you made so far in this industry, and what have you learned? How do you research trends in this market? How did you arrive at your pre-money valuation? Why is this the right time for this product or service? What are your weaknesses or disadvantages compared to your competitors? Why do you choose this method of raising capital? What is your plan B? Can you tell a story about one or more customers who use your product, and how can I get in touch with them? Which entrepreneurs do you admire and why? In summary: So, preparation is (almost) everything! All successful capital rounds have in common that founders and their teams take their time and prepare carefully. Also, make it clear that your problem solving with your Startup is a significant major problem for many potential customers and has very high scalability. Get evidence and some examples. Suppose you are carefully preparing and perhaps follow some of the lessons above and the experiences we have had or feel that you want support structuring and going through all the steps in the process. In that case, I am sure you will nail your Startup company's first capital round. Good luck! Follow me on LinkedIn , or visit my website for more info! Read more from Magnus! Magnus Ernegård, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Magnus Ernegård has over 30 years of senior management experience from different industries in multinational industrial companies in various countries. Background in CEO positions, CFO, management consultant, production, business development, innovation, corporate governance, and entrepreneurship. Further, he has, over the years, gained Board and Chairman experiences from Boards within the Automotive, Logistics, IT Consulting, and Textile industries . Today, he is the owner and founder of the Startup support provider company BridgeToAngels based in Sweden and Denmark. Magnus has a proven track record in starting/developing businesses, company split, corporate exits, and organizational effectiveness. Magnus also serves as Advisory Council Member of Gerson Lehrman Group. He holds an MSc from the University of Lund, Sweden.

Written by: Ceza Ouzounian , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. You know you are ready for a relationship with someone who is everything you desire in a partner. A relationship that lights you up, that makes you happy, and where you respect and support each other. A partner who adores you and you are a perfect fit for each other. But it isn’t happening. You are frustrated with dating. It’s like that person you want to find is not out there, and you are wondering if it is worth even dating. Limiting beliefs Sometimes we sabotage ourselves by letting our limiting beliefs get in the way. Our beliefs affect our thoughts, which affect our emotions, which affect our actions. Quite often, this happens on autopilot. We aren’t aware of all our negative beliefs getting in the way of what we want. Let me give you an example. A client of mine wanted a serious relationship, but she kept saying she wasn’t ready. On further exploration, it was because she believed she needed to lose some weight before she could go on dates. Delving a little deeper, this thought that she needed to lose weight was linked to the belief that she wasn’t good enough. Not being good enough is a limiting belief that comes up A LOT in sessions (and I have worked on this belief too). It is a big one. For the client mentioned above, this meant that belief led to her thinking she needed to lose weight, which made her feel unsexy, unworthy, and unable to attract the kind of man she wanted. This led to her not taking steps to go on dates or take further steps when a man she was attracted to wanted to go out with her. She pulled away. This belief of not being good enough stopped her from getting anywhere close to what she wanted, which was a relationship. For her, it meant exploring why she didn’t feel good enough and what experiences in her life this belief was linked to. It was identifying how this belief showed up in her life, not just in dating but in every area of life. How do you know what limiting beliefs you have? In my client sessions, I use the Energy Alignment Method to identify and clear these limiting beliefs (which is too big to explain here), but you can identify and clear them in many different ways. Journaling is a great way, and you can do it right now with a pen and paper or even opening up a document on the computer. Ask yourself how you feel about dating and write whatever comes to mind. No thinking about what you are writing, no judgment, just let it flow out. Once you have finished, go back and read over what you wrote. What negative thoughts are there? Doing this exercise can reveal some of the thoughts you may be saying to yourself as a result of limiting beliefs, which are impacting your behavior. And you can do it multiple times, or on different questions, as each time you may discover new things. Paying attention to your thoughts is a great way to start identifying your beliefs. If you keep telling yourself no one will ever find you attractive, something else is going on beneath that, and that’s what we want to get to start changing those limiting beliefs, so they aren’t negatively impacting you. What next? What do you do once you start noticing these limiting beliefs and negative thoughts? Awareness is key and vital to change. When you notice that a negative thought is being triggered, instead of reacting in the way you normally would take a moment to stop and breathe and decide how you want to feel and react. You can choose how to react to a situation. If you stop yourself from dating because you believe you will never find a suitable partner. That belief has been triggered in a moment when you felt excited about going on a dating app, and you’ve actually noticed getting triggered, stop and take a deep breath. Ask yourself, is that belief true? Decide how you want to feel? Decide what your next steps are? Will you let that belief stop you from going after what you want? Or will you take the steps regardless of what might be coming up internally for you at that moment? Breaking that automatic pattern means noticing and deciding to do something different. It isn’t always easy. Sometimes you’ll give in to it. Sometimes you’ll win. But each time, it gets easier. Over time you’ll start creating positive patterns. Looking at what is going on for you internally makes such a massive difference to dating, as it affects everything externally. So, if your dating isn’t going well, look inwards. What limiting beliefs may be holding you back? If you need support to work on your limiting beliefs or want to know how the Energy Alignment Method can help you, please do reach out to me. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my we bsite ! Read more from Ceza! Ceza Ouzounian, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ceza Ouzounian is a Relationship Coach, an Energy Alignment Method Mentor, Fitness Instructor, best-selling author, and speaker. She helps successful entrepreneurial women have the relationship they desire. Ceza knows exactly what is required to have a relationship you love that is full of support, passion, and love and has helped many women reach their desired relationship. She shares the valuable lessons from her own journey and what she has learned from work with clients and those around her to support her clients to have their dream relationship.